


December 24th

by Mello_Drama_Reborn



Category: Future Card Buddyfight
Genre: Fluff, M/M, and Shido being very confused by accidental flirting, featuring: Retsu looking awkwardly in the distance, two middleschool boys go on a really awkward date: the fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-12 03:24:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9053191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mello_Drama_Reborn/pseuds/Mello_Drama_Reborn
Summary: Shido is horrified when the grumpy, quiet deckbuilder from Disaster texts him months after Disaster has been dissolved to... Ask him out? On Christmas Eve??Shido and Gremlin go to the city to see the holiday lights. Hilarity ensues.





	

**Author's Note:**

> [looks at title]  
> [looks at date I'm posting this]  
> I tried.
> 
> **Update:** Now with extended party ending.

Magoroku gritted his teeth as his phone refused to connect. Sofia must've blocked his number again. How many times had he told her to fix that?

"Whatever," he grumbled as he opened the next Disaster contact in his phone, "Davide will probably have better advice anyway."

...

...

"Argh!" Voicemail, he was being ignored. At least he wasn't blocked- he'd make him listen if it was the last thing he did.

A beep.

"Davide! Answer your phone, this is vitally important!"  
He ended the message and put the phone down in front of him, daring it to ring. It didn't take more than a minute for him to become impatient, redialling until he once again was allowed to leave a message.  
"Davide answer your phone! I need your people skills- it's something about Gremlin. Don't you _dare_ leave me waiting!" Again he set the phone down and waited, cross legged on his bed with his cell phone sitting on the covers.

...

...

A ring.

"Well, it took you long enough-"

"You have 30 seconds to catch my interest."  
Davide already sounded bored, and Magoroku could almost hear his thumb on the end call button. Upon remembering the reason for his call, he felt panic rise in him, his voice spiking as he rushed his explanation.

"Davide, you have to help me, I think Gremlin just asked me out!"

A silence.

"Well. I'm interested." His voice had changed, full of good humor, and Magoroku let out a relieved breath. "So, have you two been flirting since Disaster broke up, or~?"

"No! We haven't spoken since the cup! I have no idea where this came from!"

Davide let out a thoughtful noise, ending on a skeptical note.

"Are you sure you got this right? I mean, Grems doesn't really strike me as the romantic type."

"I'm sure of it! I mean, I tried asking what it was about and he was super vauge, but he picked Christmas Eve! What else could it be but a date?"

"Just send me a screenshot or something, I don't trust your judgement."

"Ugggh, fine!"

He switched back to the messages, his heart squeezing as he reread the texts they'd only exchanged a few minutes ago.

> -Hey, are you free on the 24th?  
>  maybe?? why  
>  -No real reason. Just thought we could get together.  
>  does this have to do with disaster??  
>  -No  
>  why the 24th?  
>  -I just have some time to kill then. Do you have plans then?

 

".... Yeah, Gremlin's not dumb enough to just not notice that's Christmas Eve. It's totally a date." Magoroku felt his heart drop at his assessment. "... So, you gonna do it?"

"I don't know!! That's why I called you! I don't know what to think!"

"I think you should do it."

Magoroku couldn't help but notice the note of amusment in Davide's voice, his suspicions rising.

"Why?"

"You might get free food out of it."

"What!? I'm not some kind of beggar!"

"Well then, how about since he actually seems to like you? Seems like your type." Magoroku couldn't even think of a response to that. "... Plus, if he likes you, he might give you free stuff."

"... You're horrible. I can see why didn't ask _you._ "

"Yeah, sure." Magoroku didn't know what to make of his reply, his head still a mess of confusion. "Anyway, I guess what it comes to is: would you rather spend Christmas Eve alone, or with Gremlin? Because I doubt there's anyone else breaking down you door for the privilege of your company."

"Wh-what do you know!? I'll have you know I'm very popular!"

"Uh huh." Magoroku could already see the somewhat awkward evening out with his father. "If you take him up on that, let me know where you're meeting up."

"... Actually, I think I will."

"Seriously!? Good luck, man."

Davide hung up the phone, leaving Magoroku to look again at the texts from Gremlin.  
Could someone have... Hacked his phone? Did they plan to hold him for ransom? He didn't know Gremlin well enough to know if the texts sounded like him, but Davide knew about sneaky stuff and didn't seem suspicious...

It might nice to have company for Christmas Eve. Even if it was Gremlin.

He sent his reply, feeling a bit numb as he did so. After arranging a few details, he texted Davide back, and afterwords took a while to wonder about what he'd gotten himself into.

 

They met at Cho-Tokyo station at one. Magoroku arrived ten minutes early, the air outside the station cold as he watched the crowds passing through, every sighting of an obvious couple reminding him why he had come in a dawning realization that soon had him fidgeting nervously.

"Hey. Sorry, were you waiting long?"

Magoroku turned around fast enough to get whiplash, examining the person who had come to meet him.  
He was familiar, but different somehow, the exact way he couldn't place after not having seen him in so long. It was his first time seeing Gremlin in anything besides the Disaster uniform- instead he was dressed in long black trenchcoat with a grey muffler, and there was something else.....

"Wait- your hair! Where did your antenna go!?"

"My wha-" A hand floated to the side of his head, his face creasing with embarrassment. "That's-- don't worry about it."

There was no way not to worry about it. Now that he'd noticed, it was jarring- he remembered zoning out during Disaster meetings and wondering how those things stayed on his head. He might as well've shown up wearing a clown mask, he was so distracted.

"Anyway, is there anywhere you wanted to go?"

"Wha- you didn't have somewhere in mind?"

Gremlin glanced away, a hand finding its way into his hair (which was still missing its antenee!!).

"The city has a lot to do in it. Since I wasn't sure what you liked, I didn't want to decide on anything ahead of time."

Well, "Gremlin" and "considerate" weren't two words he expected to put in the same sentence, but...

"In that case... Do you want to check out the holiday lights?" He could barely believe himself as the words left his mouth. Viewing the holiday lights was his ultimate date plan- not that he'd ever gotten to use it, as Sofia had refused to go with him last year and this year she'd blocked his number. Still, he couldn't believe his was using his secret weapon on Gremlin of all people. "There's a huge tree in the square that's supposed to look really nice."

Gremlin looked like he hadn't been expecting his answer, and Shido suddenly felt awkward for suggesting such an obvious date activity.  
But wait.... It was a date, so it shouldn't be weird, right?

"... Sure. I guess I normally don't get to see them."

After a moment of hesitation, the two of them started walking away from the station, the immediate area already sporting decorative lights on shop windows and light poles, even though they were still a fair walk from the square.

"So... Is there a reason you don't normally see them?"

"Not much point walking around the city alone this time of year."

Magoroku felt his face fall as he immediately related. Nothing was quite as depressing as wandering around alone on Christmas Eve.  
Even with the thought, Magoroku could look around and see couples all around them- pairs walking down the street holding hands or with locked arms, and he suddenly wondered if they looked anything like that. He glanced at Retsu, but he was looking elsewhere, eyes scanning the decorations on the shops on the opposite side of the street. His hands were firmly rooted in the deep pockets of his jacket, and Magoroku felt his face heat with embarrassment for expecting anything different.

As soon as he did, Gremlin turned to look at him, as if knowing he was being looked at, and Magoroku scrambled to find something to do with his hands as if to hide evidence of his thoughts.

"Are your hands cold?"

"What?? No!!" He could barely believe this- was Gremlin offering to hold hands with him??

"... You seem nervous."

"Yes- I mean, no, well- it's just been so long since Disaster, and even then we didn't talk very much, so I just wasn't expecting you to call me so out of the blue..." He felt the heat in his face build as he fumbled- was he really getting this flustered over Gremlin, of all people?

"Hm." He looked away again, apparently not noticing Magoroku's state. "I guess... I couldn't think of anyone else I wanted to see."

Magoroku stopped in his tracks, Gremlin walking a few steps ahead of him before turning around to stare at him quizically.

"Are you... sure you're okay?"

"Oh. Um! Yes! I'm fine!"

He caught up quickly, resisting the urge to slap himself out of it. He had only spent a few minutes with him so far, but every moment seemed to get weirder and weirder. Even after all the scenarios he'd run through in his head, from his brief interactions with Gremlin in Disaster, he'd never expected him to be so forward!

They started walking in silence again, Magoroku unable to focus on the increasingly elaborate decorations as he wondered whether to fill it.

"So, uh... What have you been up to? Since Disaster, that is."

"Not much." His eyes were distant once again, and Magoroku couldn't help but think that he should be staring more, instead of the other way around. Again, his gaze shifted to Magoroku as soon as he thought this, eyes slightly appraising. "I have been keeping up on your matches. Those that've been broadcasted, that is."

"Oh. Really?"

"Yes. Your school has quite the prolific reporter."

Okay. So Gremlin had been watching him (watching over him? That felt weird) ever since Disaster.  
Okay.  
Maybe that explains why he didn't feel a need to stare now, at least.

This was weird.

He nearly didn't notice when Gremlin stopped, holding himself back at the last moment.  
They'd reached the square, a gigantic Christmas Tree looming in its center.

"... I guess it's impressive." Gremlin was gazing up at it with an expression that was hard to read, so that Magoroku couldn't tell if he was bored or genuinely impressed.  
Either way, it was time for the next step of his master plan, the use of which he was starting to question less and less.

"You can see it better from that department store over there." He pointed straight across the square, Gremlin lowering his gaze slightly to find it. "If we go up to one of the higher floors, we'll be able to see everything."

Gremlin simply nodded, taking a step forward before looking back at him with a silent question. After a moment, Magoroku nodded, stepping forward to lead the way.

The store was as crowded as one would expect on Christmas Eve- the two of them had to be careful not to lose each other as they made their way to the elevators, a uniformed woman politely beckoning customers inside.  
The whole place was high-end: people (mostly more couples) were ogling clothes and jewlery among glass chandeliers and red carpets, with men in navy uniform vests offering assistance and making reccomendations. It wasn't the kind of place two middle school kids would normally go to, and leading someone here made Magoroku feel somehow proud. Of course, it was decorated for the holidays as well, with lights and wreaths and even minature decorated trees adding even more sparkle to the already impressive decor- and even, Magoroku realized with shock as the elevator doors reopened, mistletoe.  
Specifically, right over the window that overlooked the square.

"U-u-ummm, be careful!"

Gremlin stopped half way across the room, looking back at Magoroku critically. Magoroku suddenly wondered if it was rude to purposefully avoid mistletoe on a date, but it was too late, with Gremlin already following the direction of his gaze to spy the tiny plant hanging off the cieling.

"... I doubt they'd make a big deal about two kids ignoring mistletoe."

"But!! That'd be breaking the rules! What about Santa!?"

Gremlin gave him a long look, opening his mouth like he was going to say something only to shake his head and change course to avoid stopping directly under the mistletoe. Magoroku followed him up to the wall-high window, taking a quick look around to see that others had stollen his idea, with several couples spaced out along the window's length, some even taking advantage of the mistletoe situation. He looked back at Gremlin, but once again he seemed uninterested in his immediate surroundings, instead staring intently out the window.  
Making their way through the building must've taken longer than he thought, because the sky was darkening now, the square and connecting roads glittering with holiday decorations. From here it was much easier to see the full expanse of the tree- including the large tree topper, a star filled with countless LEDs that changed colors on a slow rotation. Magoroku hadn't expected to be all that impressed with the view, but found himself slightly messmerized as he took it all in, getting lost as he watched all the tiny people milling about below them.

"... This was a good idea." He turned to see Gremlin looking at him, the lights from outside reflecting in his eyes in what was a very uncomfortable realization that he was staring into his eyes. "... Thank you."

"Oh, uh, it was nothing." It was his turn to avert his gaze, oddly aware of Gremlin still watching him as he went back to watching the people in the square below them. "It really is better to go with someone else."

"Hm." He saw Gremlin turn away in the corner of his vision, both of them back to staring out the window. "Want to stay a little longer, then?"

"... Sure."

By the time that they made their way back out of the building, it was truly starting to get dark, giving the square a somehow brighter apparence as the lights became more apparent. Gremlin stopped as they approached the tree, digging his phone out of his pocket.

"... It's my mom. Mind if I take this?"

Magoroku wanted to comment on it being rude to take phone calls on a date, but instead replied "Go ahead."

"Thanks." He answered the phone, turning away slightly as he held it to his ear.  
"You ready? ... Yeah, I'm just in the city with a friend.... No, I'm not bringing him... Just because, Mom- I didn't-.... Alright, I'll head back, then."  
He stuffed the phone back into his pocket, turning back to Shido apologetically.

"Was she asking about me?"

"Um, yeah. She wanted me to invite you over."

Shido couldn't help but tense at the thought. He hadn't thought that Gremlin's parents might know their son was going on a date- the thought of being introduced as his boyfriend made him re-question why he'd accepted the invitation in the first place.  
He winced as he realized Gremlin had read his expression, his own moving to another shade of neutral-frown that he couldn't quite read.

"I already told her no. I don't even want to think of how much she'd fuss if I brought someone over..." The statement only added fuel to his imagination, but if Gremlin noticed how much Magoroku was reeling, he didn't say anything about it, apparently too distracted by his own thoughts. "Anyway, they'll be expecting me home soon, so I guess we should head back."  
Magoroku nodded, starting to head in the direction they'd come, but he stopped when he noticed Gremlin wasn't following him.  
"Umm, before that, though.." It was kind of weird seeing him awkward, his mouth in a lop-sided frown less serious than any he'd made in Disaster. "Thank you, for coming with me. You're right that we didn't talk much in Disaster, so... I'm glad you came. I hope you were able to have some fun at least." The word 'fun' came out oddly, like it wasn't a word he was used to saying, and Magoroku had to restrain to urge to make a witty remark about it, only the weird feeling of Gremlin's sincerity stopping him.

"Well... I guess I can make some time for one of my fans. You're welcome."

Gremlin gave him a look, and then it changed to something he didn't expect: a smile.

Weird. Seriously, seriously weird.

The walk back was quieter- Magoroku spent more time looking at the lights he'd been distracted from on the way over, only occassionally letting his eyes wander to the other couples on the street, cheeks pink from cold as they huddled close together, gazing into shop windows or walking hand-in-hand. He was trying not to watch Gremlin too much, trying to forget how much of the afternoon he'd spent flustered over stupid things. Now that they'd been together for a few hours, it was easier; he wasn't as nervous now, and he was used to the way Gremlin was always quietly looking elsewhere.  
He tried to think about whether he had enjoyed the outing, but couldn't get much besides all the confusion. Part of him wished he knew if Gremlin had enjoyed himself, oddly curious about the quiet deckbuilder who had apparently been harboring feelings for him. He made no last minute attempts to be romantic, however, and the two soon were back at the train station where they'd started.

"So, uhh.." Magoroku's eyes shifted from the train station to the ground, pivoting his foot nervously "... Should I kiss you now, or..?"

"Wh-what?"

Magoroku couldn't help but wince at Gremlin's harsh rebuttal.

"W-Well, that's what's supposed to happen at the end of a date, right?? Or is that only the third-"

"You- wait, you thought this was a date?"

"Well, isn't it? You asked me out on Christmas Eve!"

"Oh my god." Gremlin's face was in his hands. "Oh my god. You thought this was a date." He had started pacing, but part way through he stopped, his steps slowing and his voice changing. "You thought it was a date and you still came..."

"Hey, wait, not so fast! I just had time to kill, that's all!"

Gremlin gave him a skeptical look, but it melted back into his earlier mortified expression before he could make a further retort. "Look, what this was, was... It's my birthday, okay? My family is setting up a party for me and needed me to get out of the house. I didn't want to be out alone on my birthday."

"What? So you can ask me out on Christmas Eve but you don't invite me to your birthday party?!"

"I-It wasn't a date- you weren't even the only person I asked, but Davide was busy-"

"What?!" Magoroku froze, and Gremlin trailed off, looking at him with something almost like concern. "B-But Davide agreed with me that you..."

At that point they both heard a burst of laughter, and Davide slowly limped out from behind the station sign, holding his side to steady himself.

"Oh my god-"

"Davide! You lied to me!!"

Magoroku hoped Davide only pretended to wipe a tear away for dramatic effect as he finally quieted his laughter, the breathless way he spoke grating on Magoroku's nerves.

"Yeah, thanks for telling where and when you were meeting, buddy." He smirked at Gremlin, who looked as upset as Magoroku felt. "Following you guys around was way more entertaining than hanging out with grumpy old Gremlin would've been." He turned his smug grin towards Magoroku, immediately starting to snicker again. "Oh man though, asking for a _kiss?!_ Aren't you Mr. Charmer!" At this, he exploded into another fit of cackling, and Gremlin started inching away towards Magoroku only to be caught around the shoulders. "But hey, since I'm here now, I'd _love_ to go to your party! I'm always down for free cake!" Davide sent Magoroku a sneer, stopping him mid-way through backing away himself. "Maybe you two can have another shot at your kiss afterwords too, huh?"

"Absolutely not!! I retract the offer!"

"Aw, you can always make it again when I'm not around." He shot him a wink, and Magoroku felt a shiver go down his spine, the feeling not quite dissapating as Davide turned his attention back to Gremlin. "Anyway, I'm sure your folks would be so overjoyed to see you with some friends that they wouldn't mind a few unexpected guests, right?" Gremlin simply grumbled, casting his eyes away.

"... I'm not letting you in unless you brought something."

"Oh, I picked up a giftcard for you while I was stalking you guys."

"How thoughtful." Gremlin's voice was drenched in sarcasm as he dislodged himself from Davide's grip, giving the faintest glance towards Magoroku before heading inside the station. "Fine, I suppose I can't stop anyone from tagging along."

Davide let out a triumphant laugh, sauntering off after Gremlin, and after a few moments Magoroku hurried after as well, jogging to catch up to Gremlin's long strides until he could fall in step beside him.

"Do... I have to bring anything?"

Gremlin gave him a long look, icey blue eyes burrowing into him.

"... You're fine."  
He diverted his gaze, looking straight ahead, and Magoroku continued to watch his face until his focus was broken by more taunts from Davide behind them, Gremlin quickening his pace at the sound.  
"If we lose him on the way, it's of no concern to me."

Davide ran up, hitting Magoroku hard on the back and he approached from behind.

"Hey, no need to rush! The train ain't even here yet!"

"I know- we need to get to the tracks before the train arrives if I want to push you in front of it."

"Ouch!" Davide laughed, running ahead to hit Gremlin in a similar fashion. When they reached the gate, Gremlin looked for Magoroku over his shoulder again, Davide following his lead to turn towards him, and Magoroku wondered if this was what it felt like to be part of a real team.  
"If you two hold hands on the train, I'm going to throw up."

Gremlin only gave Davide and his comment a deadpan stare as Magoroku approached, not looking away as he pointedly offered Magoroku a hand. After a moment of confusion, he took it. His hand was big and warm, and Davide's fake gagging noises made up for the rush of embarrassment warming his cheeks, Gremlin not watching him as an awkward smile spread across his face. 

Gremlin's grip loosened once they got on the train, but after almost immediately being bumped into by someone's elbow in the crowded train car, Magoroku decided to keep his hold, Gremlin saying nothing to discourage him.

It didn't take long for standing still in the crowded train to become boring, and Magoroku began daydreaming, unconciously running his thumb across the inside of Gremlin's hand, exploring the rough skin where calouses had formed on his palm. He only noticed what he was doing when Gremlin's hand twitched against his, jolting him into awareness. When he looked up to apologize, Gremlin was stlll pretending not to notice him, his mouth creased into an awkward frown and his cheeks the lightest shade of pink. By now, Magoroku had become desensitized to his usual embarrassment- the warmth of Gremlin's hand had become comfortable, and instead of letting go he felt himself give it a squeeze, watching Gremlin's expression as he felt the deckbuilder stiffen beside him. br> It was hilarious... Until he heard Davide snicker not far from them.

"Guess this makes me the third wheel, huh?"  
Magoroku turned around to stick his tongue out at him, Gremlin glancing over a moment before going back to ignoring them. Just then the train came to a stop, Gremlin's hold on his hand the only thing stopping Magoroku from accidently headbutting the person standing behind him.  
Davide let out another laugh at his expense, starting to make his way towards the train car doors. "This is your stop, right?"

"How do you know that-"

Davide melted into the crowd of exiting traingoers before Gremlin could get an answer to his question, letting out a frustrated sigh as he led Magoroku out by the hand. 

Gremlin seemed incredibly perturbed that Davide was leading the way back to his house, Davide himself looking smug, walking backwards to grin at the two of them.

"Davide, please don't tell me that you know my address."

"Fine, I won't tell you. I'll just get there without you giving me directions."

As if to prove his knowledge on the subject, he pivoted around a corner without looking back to see if it was there, Gremlin letting out a low grumble as he reluctantly followed.

Magoroku wasn't sure what he expected Gremlin's house to look like, but somehow it wasn't the completely normal house they eventually stopped at. Davide didn't hesitate a moment before walking up to the door, Gremlin letting out another frustrated groan as he finally released Magoroku's hand and walked past Davide to open it. Magoroku's head swiveled to glance at the nameplate, his eyes widening as he just barely made out the name in the dark.

"Um, is it just me, or is this the Omori residence? As in, the home of Mikado's deckbuilder?"

"It's just you." Gremlin didn't even look at him as he dug out his house key.

"Seriously, you almost kissed this guy without even knowing his last name?" Davide was holding his sides with laughter again, Magoroku turning to give him a glare. "Dude, they're cousins. How did you not pick this up during the cup?"

Magroku didn't get a chance to retort before the door opened, a woman with long red hair standing in the doorway.

"There you are! Happy Birthday, Retsu!" She peered over at Davide and Shido, her eyes lighting up. "Oh, so you decided to bring some friends over after all! I'm so glad- all of you, come in, warm up!"

"Very kind of you, Mrs. Omori!" Davide grinned as he stepped inside and started taking off his shoes. Gremlin glanced over at Magoroku, and after a moment he followed suit, his head a jumble of unfamiliar names and bizzare relevations.

Gremlin's house was just as ordinary on the inside as it looked from the outside. It was small, and less decorated than Magoroku would've expected for a party that neccessitated kicking Gremlin out of the house. It did at least smell like food, the scent making Magoroku realize how hungry he was from all the walking beforehand.

"Now that I look at you, you two seem kind of familiar. Have you been over before?"

Magoroku snapped back into focus, spotting Gremlin's mom looking him and Davide over curiously.

"No, Mom, they're, " Gremlin paused, running his eyes over both of them with a growing frown, "...they're my teammates, from that tournament I was in."

"Ah, _that_ one!" Gremlin's mom put on a mischevious grin. "The televised buddyfight tournament you thought you could hide from us, Mister _Gremlin_ ~!" She let out a loud laugh, and Gremlin frowned with embarrassment. Davide seemed to find it funny as well, but Magoroku didn't get the joke, just looking at them all quizically and waiting for the party to officially start.  
"Oh, I'll need to set two more places at the table! I'll need to pull out some more chairs too- give me just a moment, boys!"

Gremlin's mom hurried back into the kitchen, and Davide sauntered over, clapping a hand on Magoroku's shoulders.

"Alright, since we got a moment, how about I properly introduce you two?" He gave Magoroku a grin, lifting his hand to give him a hard pat. "Your confusion is obvious. Keep gaping like you are, and Momma Gremlin's gonna think you just snuck into her house for free food!"

"Wha- but that's what you did!"

"Excuse me, I was _invited!_ Anyway," he gestured towards Gremlin, who was looking at him with a mixture of scorn and disbelief. " _This_ is Retsu Omori. His hobbies include being jaded, building decks, and wearing detachable head-horns to make himself feel cool."

"Hey-"

"What, you're gonna try to tell me that they're cool?"

"That's-" Gremlin- Retsu? looked like he was going to retort, but he seemed to swallow it down, lowering his voice and scowling "I was younger then."

"Speaking of younger- you're 15 now, ain'tcha?"

"That's... Yes."  
All Magoroku could think to do was nod, and then Gremlin's- Retsu's- Mrs. Omori called them over for dinner. Davide started over immediately, but Grem- Rets- the birthday boy stayed behind, catching Magroku's eye.  
"... You can keep calling me Gremlin if you want. I don't really care either way."

Magoroku couldn't help but let out a small sigh of relief, glad some part of the evening could remain uncomplicated as he made his way to the dining table.

Davide almost immediately started grilling Gremlin's mom for embarrassing stories, but Gremlin stopped her, making some rude remark about Davide's reckless playstyle being more embarrassing than any story from his childhood and starting a chain of jabs and one-upping that lasted most of the meal. Mrs. Omori ended up talking to Magoroku, asking him about his time at Aibou, though she seemed more interested in if he knew Baku than in his role as student council president.  
After the meal was cake, prefaced by a short argument about whether they should sing "Gremlin" or "Retsu" in the song, with "Gremlin" winning almost unanimously (Gremlin himself was the only dissenting vote, with his mother more than eager to use the nickname that apparently was used for teasing in this household). Asking Davide to sing anything turned out to be a mistake, but despite his exaggeratedly horrible performance drowning out Magoroku and Mrs. Omori, Magoroku thought he saw a hint of a smile on Gremlin's face before he blew out his candles.

"So, what'd ya wish for?"

"Idiot! If he tells you, it won't come true!"

"I wished you'd get out of my house."

After cake, Davide insisted that Gremlin show them his room, and he'd found himself with no excuses to bar them entry, reluctantly leading the way while still fending off banter from Davide.

Like the rest of the house, Gremlin's room was mostly ordinary, with slate gray walls decorated with a few posters from metal bands on one wall and buddyfight tourneys and set releases on another, with the wall above his bed adorned by an overly large Darkness Dragon World flag that'd looked like it'd been drawn in crayon. Everyone's eyes immediately turned to the drawing, with Davide starting to restrain his laughter while Gremlin looked upon it with deep regret.

Magoroku followed Gremlin's lead and sat down on the bed, but Davide ignored them, making his way around the room to examine everything.

"Touch anything, and I kill you."

"Bah, I'd like to see you try."

Gremlin kept his eyes trained on Davide as he moved about, Magoroku's eyes moving from one to the other.

"So, uh, did you guys know each other before Disaster, or..?"

"Unfortunately."

Gremlin started to get up as Davide reached for something on his desk, but he only pulled out the chair, sitting down and turning to face them.

"The two of us go to the same school- which means I get no shortage of scoldings from this guy."

"You'll get another one if you touch anything on my desk."

Magoroku frowned as Davide taunted Gremlin by flicking a mug of pens and pencils, seeing the same dynamic from the dinner table starting to carry over.

"That explains why you guys seem to know each other so well, I guess."

"Dude, I just told you his _name_." Davide turned in his chair to give him a disparaging look.

"And you know his birthday, and about his family, and where his house is,"

"Look," Gremlin turned towards him, Magroku's eyes rising to meet his, "it's not a big deal. No one in Disaster really knew that much about each other."

"I did. Rouga, Sofia, and Terumi worked in the student council with me- even Elf worked inside the school at one point. And of course, I knew Kyoya from TV and stuff..." He frowned, running through the names and faces in his head. "So really, the only Disaster members I know nothing about are the ones from my team."

Gremlin said nothing, eyes staying fixed on his as his expression softened slightly, and suddenly Magoroku's attention was diverted downwards as he felt Gremlin's hand close over his.

"Consider yourself lucky, knowing this guy is nothing but-" Davide was still spinning around in his chair, slowly coming to a stop to stare at the two of them. "I'm sorry, am I inturrupting something? Should I give you some time alone?"

"Um-!" Magoroku yanked his hand away, eyes lifting and widening on Davide. "Um, yes! Yes, you should!"

"Fine, I can see when I'm not wanted." Davide stood up from his chair and dug something out of pocket. "I'll just leave the giftcard here and leave you two to your uncontrollable chemistry."

He gave a short wave and walked out, shutting the door behind him. The two of them listened in silence as he told Gremlin's mom that he was heading off, his voice just barely audible through the door before he left altogether.

The remaining silence between them was more than awkward, Gremlin slowly moving his hand away from where it was resting between them, holding it in his other hand and clutching it to his chest.

"I'm, uh, sorry about that."

"No, I just-" Magoroku frowned, no longer looking at him. "... I should probably head off too."

There was another uncomfortable silence, Gremlin shifting uneasily beside him.

"... Yeah, I guess."

Gremlin went with him to the door, Mrs. Omori wishing Magoroku a good night as they both shuffled out. Gremlin followed him outside, stopping at the front step but shutting the door behind him, and Magoroku stopped just in front of him, staring out into the darkness beyond the porch light.

"I'm sorry for the whole... Date confusion, and then this, I... I didn't mean for this to be so... awkward."

It had been lightly snowing during their walk over, but now it was coming down harder, Davide's footprints leading out already starting to fill in. Magoroku looked from them to his own feet, both of them feeling like lead as he frowned at them.

"... I feel weird."  
Gremlin tensed as Magoroku turned to face him, still keeping his eyes on the ground.  
"I... I didn't get you anything for your birthday."

"Wha- are you still worried about that? I told you, you're fine, I really don't care about that."

"I know, but..." He swallowed, wishing he could supress the thought that had been drifting in the back of his head since their outing. "I do have something I could give you... You know... What I offered before, back at the train station."  
He waited for the loud refusal. He knew now that before wasn't a date, that he'd made up all the feelings he thought Gremlin had for him, that he was actually completely insignificant in his life- so much so that he didn't even know his real name without Davide having to tell him.  
But when Gremlin's reply came, it wasn't harsh, whispered with a breathless kind of suprise.

"R-really?"

"Um," Magoroku lifted his gaze, and though it was hard to tell in the dark, he could just barely make out the blush on Gremlin's face in the pale light from the porch lamp. "Uh, if you want?"

"I-" He turned away, looking at him through the corner of his eye, "I wouldn't mind."

There was a pause, and then he stepped forward, relinquishing the extra height from the front step as Magoroku stepping back to accomodate him. Most of his face was cast in shadow now, so Magoroku just barely saw him close his eyes, and then he leaned in and - whoa - okay, he should've seen this coming but it was still very weird.

He found himself intinctually reaching for Gremlin's hands, taking them both in his own and using them to pull Gremlin down to his height (he was already leaning in, he tried not to think about this too much). Even after standing out in the snow, his hands were warm, a familiar feeling that seemed to make up for the many things he didn't know about him. The feeling was calming somehow, and finally he let his eyes close and leaned in to kiss him.

It was light, their lips barely touching, and Magoroku felt disappointment twist in his gut when he felt Gremlin start to pull away, not thinking as he yanked him back by the hands, kissing him more firmly this time. He felt Gremlin smirk against his lips, releasing one of his hands to cup his cheek, his skin almost burning against his cold-bitten face as he pulled him closer.  
It felt better when they pulled apart this time, Magoroku opening his eyes to see Gremlin smiling down at him, this one less restrained than the past two smiles he'd seen that day.

"We should-"

"We should do this again sometime." Magoroku couldn't help interrupting him, Gremlin giving him a disbelieving smirk. "You know, get to know each other better."

"... You took the words right out of my mouth." Magoroku grinned, and Gremlin's posture tensed defensively. "I didn't mean because--!"  
Magoroku only laughed, giving the hand he still held a squeeze, and Gremlin just looked away with an embarrassed frown.  
"Y-you have my number, so..."

"Mm hm! Call me!"

"I... I will."

Gremlin's hand left his cheek, and Magroku stepped away, reluctantly releasing his other hand. He turned towards the street, starting to grin before spotting the fading footprints leading out, feeling his mood plummet.

 

__

_'Maybe you two can have another shot at your kiss afterwords too, huh?'_

_'Absolutely not!! I retract the offer!'_

_'Aw, you can always make it again when I'm not around..'_

 

 

"Auugh-! I can't believe I ended up proving Davide right!!"

"Just don't think about it too hard."

Gremlin was still smiling when Magoroku turned back around to face him.

"Auugh- but what if he was watching us again!?"

"I somehow doubt he actually wanted to watch that. We'll be fine."

Magoroku frowned, turning away again and kicking some snow over Davide's footprints.

"... I'm going to make sure these lead all the way to the train station..."

Gremlin wished him a final good night and Magoroku set off, thoughts of Davide's spying soon leaving his mind as the days events began to solidify in his mind, grin returned at double its size by the time he was on the train home.


End file.
